Wednesday, 9 February 2011

Spring is nearly sprung...

It’s been a grey old day here in The Enchanted Village.

When I passed the BBC World Service transmitting station this morning, there was so much mist swirling around, the tops of the masts blended in with the sky. I felt like scrambling to the summit of one of them and stepping off into the clouds in search of the Giant’s golden eggs.

The weather is much milder now, there is soft mud in the gateways and spring bulbs are creeping onwards and upwards before our eyes. Soon, a new season will be upon us, and tete a tete narcissi will be having animated conversations outside the Grigg abode. They’ll be joined later by Queen of Night tulips and sweet-smelling wallflowers.

Before then, though, in March, it’ll be Pancake Day, the clocks will go forward and Mr St John will be wearing shorts. We’ll be planning a mad hatters’ tea party for the Royal Wedding (any excuse for a knees-up) at the end of April and a fete in June with the theme of carnival (expect Mr Grigg in skimpy Rio outfit and lots of feathers, Mrs Bancroft on stilts, Mr Champagne-Charlie banging on a samba drum and Mr Loggins zooming round on roller skates while blowing a whistle).

In between, there will be a dance in the village hall to the music of Dogs Without Collars, a rock band with a line-up of five Dorset vicars. Naturally, we'll be raising money for the local church.

There is a circle of life at work in The Enchanted Village. Every year at about this time we know it is coming and every year it surprises us. What goes around comes around.